Sonically the 40EX503 is a classic game of two halves. On the positive side, the 40EX503's speakers prove unusually adept at picking out treble detail in a sound mix, and presenting it cleanly and precisely.

On the downside, there just isn't enough bass to balance the treble side out, leaving proceedings sounding a bit tinny and thin.

Value

Many times in the past we've found ourselves berating Sony for charging too much for its flat TVs.

But the 40EX503 suggests that the Japanese brand is hell-bent on being competitive this year, for £900 really doesn't seem an unreasonable amount to pay for a high-performance TV equipped with not one but two ground-breaking features (the Freeview HD tuner and video streaming, in case you've lost track!).